Coal loading machine



May 19, 1931;

C. C. MILLER, JR

COAL LOADI NG MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 1931- c. c.MILLER, JR 1,805,951

COAL LOADING MACHI NE Filed Jan. 18. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1931. c. c.MILLER, JR 1,805,951

COAL LOADING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May19, 1931 PATENT OFFICE CUYLER O. MILLER, JR, GILIJELSPIE, ILLINOIS COALLOADING MACHINE Application filed January 18,

This invention is a coal loading machine for employment in mines for thepurpose of transferring the coal to a mine car or other suitableconveyor after the coal has been broken from the vein in a loose orshattered condition.

The main object of the invention is to provide a coal loading machinewhich will rapidly and economically load the coal in 10 the cars orconveyors with but a minimum-of manual operations. 1

Another object 'is to provide a coal loading machine including gatheringand delivering conveyors each of which is separately adjustable in bothhorizontal and vertical planes to facilitate the gathering of the coaland its delivery to the mine cars.

Another object is to provide a coal loading machine including a coalgathering means for efiiciently and rapidly dragging the coal from themine bottom on to the gathering conveyor from whence it may be deliveredto the mine car. i

A further object is to provide a coal load- 25 ing machine of thecharacter set forth in a simple, efficient and durable form.

The foregoing and other objects together with means whereby the same maybe carried into effect will best be understood from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged rear end view thereof.

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the r coal gathering mechanismandthe end of the gathering conveyor.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the rear end of the gatheringconveyor and its supporting means.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the coal gathering arms.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail side view of the adjusting means for thedelivering conveyor.

60 Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional detail 1930. Serial No. 421,647.

view of the adjustable supporting means for the gathering conveyor.

In carrying out the invention I provide a carriage 1 comprising a base 2beneath which are j ournaled the axles 3 carrying the wheels 5 4 bymeans of which the carriage may travel upon the rails 5 of theconventional track system of the mine. An upper deck or frame 6 issupported above the base 2 by posts 7 and one end of this deck or frame6 termie0 nates short of an alignment with the end of the base 2, thisend of the carriage bein hereinafter referred to as the forward en Amotor 80f conventional form is mounted on the base 2 and belted as shownat 9 to a as conventional double disk clutch 10 one side 11 of whichdrives the conveyor drive shaft 12 and the other side 13 of which drivesthe propelling shaft 14. The shafts 12 and 14 are journaled in theplates 15 extended be- 70 tween the posts 7 as shown. Sprockets 16 areconnected to the axles 3 on oneside of the carriage 1 and similarsprockets 17 are mounted on one of the axles and on the outer end of thepropelling shaft 14. A sprocket 75 chain 18 is trained over thesprockets 16 and another chain 19 is trained over the sprockets 17sothat the carriage may be propelled over the mine tracks by the motor 8.It is obvious that by virtue of the double clutch 10 the so propellingshaft 14 alone may be rotated by the motor while the conveyor shaft 12remains idle so that the loader may be moved from place to place withoutoperating the conveyors. '85

A circular race 20 is mounted upon the deck 6 over the conveyor driveshaft 12 and an annular carrier 21 is rotatably mounted on this race,the said carrier running on balls 22 which are seated in grooves 23 pro-.33 vided in the adjacent faces of the race and carrier as shown. Thegathering conveyor designated enerally at 24 comprises elongated spacer?side pieces 25 which are secured to ether by cross pieces 26 along theirunder- 95 si es. Pivot lugs 28 are depended from these side pieces 25adjacent their rearwardly disposed ends and are pivotally attached at 29to the carrier 21 at diametrically opposite points thereon. An arcuaterace 30- 1s se- 108 the legs 33.

brackets 41 extended from the lower ends ofv the legs 33 and meshwithvthe aforesald,

cured in a horizontal osition the forward end of the base 2 an has agroove 31 1n its upper surface and a rack 32formed along its inner edge.Supporting legs 33 are secured at 34 to the side pieces 25 and haveaxially extended sockets 35 at their lower ends. Threaded-studs 36 areslidably ke ed at 62 in the sockets3 and have enlarged eet 37 whichcarry the balls-or other bearings 38 at their lower ends whichareadapted to play in the groove 31 in tlirace 30. Gears 39 are threaded onthe studs 3'8 at the'lower end of Worms 40 are --journaled in gears 39in'such manner that the conveyor 24- may be adjusted" 11y Iby .turn1ngthese worms 40,.th" 25 swinging on the pivots 29. i urnaled in a bracket43 carriedby ioneiof-the legsgim and meshes with the rack 32. insuchjman'ner that the conveyor may beadjustedin a horizontal plane byturning this warm thefco'nveyor in this case turning on the race 2Q.-The aforesaid wor'ms 40 and 42 may bep'rovided with any suitable turninghandles .(notl shown) extended-out to the. side of the machine as willbe understood. "The side pieces 25 and the legs 33 are braced by thebracing members 44-and 45 in the-manner shown.

A shaft 46 is' journaled diametrically through'the carrier 21 and servesas the pivots 29 for the side pieces 25 and a beveled oogand 52 andconnected by a sprocket chain gear 47 is fixed to this shaftintermediate its ends. A similar beveled'gear 48 is fixed on theconveyor' drive shaft 12. A vertical shaft 49 is journaled in the deck 6and in a horizontal plate 50 mounted between the posts 7 and carriesbeveled gears 51 at'either end which mesh with the aforesaid gears 47and 48 so that said shaft 46' will be driven by the conveyor drive shaft12. A sprocket shaft 52 is ournaled between'the rear ends of the sidepieces 25 of the conveyor 24 and a similar sprocket shaft 53 isjournaled between the forward ends of the said side pieces. It will benoted that the forward portions 54 of the side pieces 25 are bent.angularly downward from their remaining portions to bring the forwardend of the conveyor into proximity with the surface from which the coalis to be gathered. Sprockets 55 are secured vto the rear shaft52 nearthe side pieces 25 andsimilar sprockets 56 are secured totheforwardshaft 53 also adjacent the said side pieces. Sprocket chains 57and 58 are trained over the saidsprockets 55 and 56 and are driven bythe former, a. sprocket wheel 59 being mounted upon the shafts 46forthis'purpose. The sprocket chains 57 and 58 carry a oonve or belt'61'of conventional form upon w ich the coal will be drawn upward whenplaced upon the forward end of the conveyor by a means to be described.Rollers 63 su portboth the upper and lower layers oft e conveyor belt 61where the side pieces 25 are bent downward as shown.

The forward end of the conveyor 24 is provided with a laterally andforwardly extended apron 64 and the forward shaft 53 carrying theconveyor belt is extended out beneath this apron 64 as at 65 andprovided with beveled gears 66 at its ends. Short stub shafts 67 arejournaled through the apron 64 and provided with beveled gears 68 attheir lower ends which mesh with theaforesaid gears 66 so that the saidstub shafts 67 will be rotated when the conveyor belt 61 is in motion.Circular plates 69 are fixed upon the upper ends of the stub shafts 67and carry a plurality of radially spaced depending hinge pins 70. A ring71 is secured tothe lower ends of the pins to turn therewith. Aplurality of coal gatherin arms 72 are provided, the same being sustantially wedge shaped in plan and having bearings 73 to receive theaforesaid hinge pins 70 b means of which the said arms are carriedlaythe plates 69. The

inner or butt ends of the gathering arms 72 are concaved as at 74 andhave small rollers 75 journaled upon their lower surfaces as shown. Cams76 are fixed u n the apron 64 in concentricit'y with the a oresaid stubshafts 67 which extend therethrough and these cams are substantiallysemicircular in plan with their convexed orcurved peripheries turnedforwardl as shown. Grooves 77 are provided in t e undersides of theperipheries of the cams 76 As will be clearly evidentfrom the drawingthe arms 72 will be held rigidly extended during that portion of theirtravel in. which they are in position to engage coal upon the surface ofthe mine, the rollers 75 running in the grooves 77 and cooperating withthe engagement of the concaved butts 74 of the A arms withthe-periphery'of the cams 76 for this purpose. When each arm 72 reachesa point where it has drawn its load of coal entirely onto the conveyorbelt 61 and otherwise would tend to drag it off the side of stood. I

A circular race 79 similar tothe race 20 is secured on. the deck 6adjacent its rear end and an annular carrier 80 is rotatably mountedthereon on the ball bearings 81 in the manner hereinbefore set forth Adrive shaft 82 is ournaled vertically through the base 2 and deck 6 andextends upwardly through the said race 79. Sprockets 83 and 84 are fixedupon the shafts 49 and 82 in horizontal alignment and a sprocket chain85 is trained over these sprockets. A shaft 86 is journaleddiametrically through the carrier 80 and carries a beveled gear 87intermediate its ends, which gear meshes with a similar gear 88 upon theupper end of the shaft 82. Sprockets 89 are mounted on the said shaft 86ad'acent its ends and Within the carrier 80. he delivering conveyor 90comprises side pieces 91 which are secured together by cross pieces 92and which are pivotally attached to the carrier 80 by the pivot lugs 98engaging the shaft 86. A supporting arm 93 is loosely mounted at 94 onthe lower portion of the drive shaft 82 and extends angularly upwardtherefrom. A worm 95 is journaled in the upper end of this arm 93 andmeshes with a rack 96 carried by the conveyor 90 in such manner that theheight of the outer end of the said conveyor may be adjusted b turninthe said worm. A sliding pin or andle 9 is provided in the worm for thispurpose. Sprocket shafts 99 are journaled through the side pieces 91 ateach end of the conveyor 90 and sprocket wheels 100 are mounted on theseshafts adjacent the said side pieces 91. Sprocket chains 101 are trainedover the said sprocket wheels 100 and carry the conventional conveyorbelt 102 similar to the aforementioned conveyor belt 61. As will benoted in Figure 3 the lower layers or laps of the sprocket chains 101are trained over the sprockets 89 on the shaft 86 and are driventhereby. It will be noted that the inner end of the delivering conveyor90 is disposed beneath the rear end of the gathering conveyor 24 so thatthe coal from the said gathering conveyor will be deposited on the saiddelivering conveyor.

The operation of the machine will be clearly evident from the foregoingdescription, the gathering arms 72 drawing the coal onto the gatheringconveyor 24 which deposits it on the delivering conveyor 90 from whenceit is delivered to a mine car or other suitable conveyance orreceptacle. Since boththe gathering and delivering conveyors areadjustable laterally and vertically the machine may be adapted for useunder any conditions.

While I have herein set forth a certain preferred embodiment of myinvention it is understood that I may vary from the same in minorstructural details, not departing from the spirit of the invention andwithin the scope of the appended claims. J

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a carriage, a race mountedthereon, a carrier rcitably mounted in the race, a gathering conveyorpivotally attached to the said carrier, means for supporting andmaintaining the said conveyor in any adjusted osition, another racemounted on the carriage, a carrier rotatably mounted in this race, adelivery conveyor pivotally attached to the said carrier and means forsupporting this conveyor in any adjusted position.

2. In a device of the class described, a carriage, a gathering conveyorrotatably and pivotally mounted on the carriage by its rear end, anarcuate race upon the forward portion of the carriage, supporting legsupon the said gathering conveyor adapted to play in the said race, meansfor a justing the length of the said legs, a rotating coal gatheringmechanism upon the forward end of the said gathering conveyor and adelivering conveyor rotatably and pivotally mounted on the said carriageadjacent the rear end of the gathering conveyor.

3. In a-coal gathering mechanism, in combination with a conveyor,including an extended apron at its end and a rotating sprocket shaft,gears upon the ends of the said sprocket shaft, stub shafts j ournaledin the said apron, gears upon the said stub shafts in mesh with the saidgears upon the sprocket shaft, circular plates carried by the said stubshafts, gathering arms fulcrumed on the said plates, semicircular camsfixed on the said apron, the inner ends of the said gathering arms beinconcaved to engage the curved periphery o the said cam durin a part ofthe rotation of the said circu ar plates whereby the said arms will beheld rigidly extended, rollers journaled in the inner ends of the saidgatherin arms, and arcuate strips secured on the saic l apron andadapted to engage the said rollers to swing the arms into position toagain engage the said cams after having been released therefrom by therotation of the said circu lar plates.

4. In a device of the class described, a carriage, a race mounted on thecarriage, a carrier rotatably mounted on the race, a gathering conveyorpivotally mounted at its inner end on the sald carrier, another racemounted on the carriage, a carrier mounted in this race and a deliveryconveyor pivotally mounted at its inner end on the said carrier andmeans for adjusting the said gathering and delivery conveyors in avertical plane.

5. In a device of the class described, a carriage, a gathering conveyorrotatably and pivotally mounted on the carriage by its rear end, anarcuate race upon the forward portion of the carriage, supporting legsupon the said gathering conveyor adapted to play in the said race, meansfor adjusting the length of the said legs, a rotating coal gatheringmechanism upon the forward end of the said gathering conveyor and adelivering conveyor rotatably and ivotally mounted on the said carriagea jacent the rear end of the gathering conveyor, and means 'for raisingand lowering the free end of the said delivery conveyor.

6. In a device of the class described, a carriage, a gathering conveyorrotatably and pivotally mounted by its rear end on the said carriage, anarcuate race mounted on the forward portion of the said carriage beneaththe conveyor, supporting legs secured to the conveyor and having socketsin their lower ends, threaded studs slidably keyed in the said sockets,feet on the lower ends of the said studs adapted to play over the saidarcuate race, gears threaded on the said studs adapted to play over thesaid arcuate race, gears threaded on the said {studs and adapted to bearon the ends of :the said legs, gears carried by the said legs andmeshing with the gears n the said studs, a rack on the said arcuaterace, and a gear carried by one of the feet of the said threaded studsand meshing with the rack on the race.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CUYLER C. MILLER, JR.

